Folding car-step.



C. 1. HAND. 'FOLDiNG CAR STEP. APPLICATION FILED OCT. NE, 11917.

I Patented June 18, 1918.

insure a 1 CHARLES J. HAND, 0F PALISADES PARK, NEW J Eli/$131 rorinrne can-STEP.

racesas.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 1%, 191%.,

Application filed. October 16, 1917. Serial No. 196,937.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, CHAnLns J. HAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palisades Park, in the county of Bergen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Car- Steps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to folding oar steps.

The object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary car step to be mounted as an extension upon the lowermost end of the usual car steps of a. railroad passenger coach. More particularly it is the intention of the invention to provide an auxiliary or extension step which may be employed at points where the lower fixed step is at a considerable distance. above the ground, and to which access must ordinarily be gained with the aid of a port-ers box orportable step. According to the present invention, the auxiliary step is formed of a tread and a riser, the upper edge of the latter being hinged to the forward edge of the last fixed step, so that the riser may fold flat against the lower face of the last fixed step, and an arcuate operating rod or rods carried by the riser projects through guide-ways in the fixed step for the manual operation of the auxiliary step.

With the above objects in view, and such others relating to the details of construction, as may hereinafter appear, my invention will now be fully set forth and described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the folding step in extended position,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the step in folded position, a

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through one of the folding devices, and

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the operating levers.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the lowermost step of a flight of car steps, whose forward edge is finished in a usual manner. To the under face of the step 1,'and just behind the forward edge thereof, there is hingedto the step a riser 2, which carries in rigid relation the outwardly extended step or tread 3. The

hinge 4; by means of which the riser 2 is hinged to the step 1 may be continuous, or may consist of a succession of detached hinge elements, according to that method which is found to be most desirable.

When the riser 2 is swung rearwardly so that it bears against the lower face of the step 1, then the tread 3 projects downwardly from below the rear portion of the step 1.

Mounted upon the rear face of the riser 2 is a pair of base plates 5 upon which are formed the bearing lugs 6. Pivotally mountedbetween the lugs 6 are the ends of arcuate levers 7 said arcuate levers 7 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the base plates 5 and passing through apertures 8 formed entirely through the step 1. The upper ends of the arcuate levers 7 are provided with the transversely extending heads 9 which constitute hand grips for the convenient manipulation of the levers. Said hand grips or heads 9, when the step is extended, rest within pockets or recesses which are provided with cup-shaped castings '10 which are inserted into the upper face of the step 1, said recesses being of such depth as to allow the heads or hand grips 9 to come flush with the surface of the step.

Formed as part of-the castings 1'0 and projecting inwardly across the openings 8 are the lips 11 which are formed to coact with lugs 12 projected from the sides of the levers 7, the formation ofthe lugs 12 being such that when the levers are fully extended to hold the step in unfolded position, the lugs will engage below the lips 11 to thereby lock the step against folding. When it is desired to fold the step, the hand grips 9 are grasped and primarily pulled forwardly to release the lugs 12 from the lips 11, after which the step may be lifted in its folded position, thereby bringing the levers 7 upwardly through the openings in the step 1 until the bearing lugs 6 extend upwardly through the openings 8. When the levers 7 are free to be swung forwardly against the step 1, the hand grips 9 then constitute weights which overhang the forward edge of the step 1 and lock the folded step in position, since the weight of the hand grips counteracts the gravital action due to the weight of the step. In order to extend the step 1 it is merely necessary to lift the levers 7 into the position where they will pass through the openings 8, thereby permitting the step 3 and the riser 2 to drop into extended position, the levers 7, as soon as the heads rest in the recesses provided therefor, falling rearwardly by reason of their pivotal connection with the riser 2, so that the lugs 12 engage below the lips 11, this locking of the riser 2 and the step 1 together prevent devices, so that the mechanism for folding and supporting the extension step is a very simple and inexpensive assemblage.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination with the lower step of a fixed flight, of a riser hinged along the forward edge of said fixed step and having a tread mounted thereon, and areuate levers carried by the rear side of the riser and extending through the tread of the first fixed ste 2 The combination with the lower step of a fixed flight, of a riser hinged along the forward edge of said fixed step and having a tread mounted thereon, arcuate levers carried by the rear side of the riser and extending through the tread of the first fixed step, and means for locking the projecting ends of the levers to the fixed step when the riser is in extended position.

3. The combination with the lower step of a fixed flight, of a riser hinged along the forward edge of said fixed step and having a tread mounted thereon, and arcuate levers pivoted to the rear face of the riser and 00920:: of this patent may be obtained for extending through the tread of the first fixed step.

4-. The combination with the lower step of a fixed fiight, of a riser hinged along the forward edge of said fixed step and having a tread mounted thereon, arcuate levers pivoted to the rear face of the riser and extending through the tread of the first fixed step, and means for locking the projected ends of the levers to the fixed step when the riser is in position.

5. The combination with the lower step of a fixed flight, of a riser hinged along the forward edge of said fixed step and having a tread mounted thereon, arcuate levers carried by the rear side of the riser and extending through the tread of the first fixed step, hand grips carried by the projecting ends of the levers, and recessed elements in the tread of the fixed step to receive said hand grips when the riser is in extended position.

6. The combination with the lower step of a fixed fiight, of a riser hinged alon the forward edge of said fixed step and having a tread mounted thereon, arcuate levers carried by the rear side of the riser and extending through the tread of the first fixed step, hand grips carried by the projecting ends of the levers, recessed elements in the tread of the fixed step to receive said hand grips when the riser is in extended position, a locking lip carried by said recessed elements, and a lug carried by the lever to engage the said lips to lock the levers in extended position.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. HAND.

Witnesses MORRIS KAPLAN, MATTHEW F. RnARnoN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatente,

Washington, D. (2. 

